Testing Laboratory There is a lot involved in creating and operating a successful testing laboratory. An assortment of different pieces of technology and equipment are involved as well as many knowledgeable professionals. These are just the basic ingredients for any kind of successful testing laboratory; however, there are many different kinds of testing laboratories that serve many different kinds of purposes within our society today. Testing laboratories exist for every field from medicine (the most common) to the soil industry. The array of equipment needed in a medical testing laboratory is extensive because of the 2500 possible tests that can be performed. Equipment Among some of the most common equipment that might be seen in a medical testing laboratory are: refrigerated and heated incubators; drying, sterilizing and curing ovens; water baths; freezers and hot plates. Environmental cabinets are also a staple, along with shaking and stirring equipment. Some will even have plant growth incubators/chambers, blood bank apparatus and humidity and stabilization chambers. Incubators are most commonly thought to be used to hatch baby birds such as ducks, chicken and geese, but within the medical field they are used to test the incubation periods of things like bacteria, viruses and other diseases. Incubators allow chemists and laboratory technicians to speed up the incubation process to find results faster rather than waiting for the actual incubation of these organisms. Environmental Cabinets are used for the safe, secure storage of bio-hazardous materials as well as materials that may just be hazardous to water, the environment, air or people; materials that can't be stored anywhere else but in cabinets made of stainless sheet steel. They are usually lockable to ensure that access is limited only to those with experience handling such substances. Having a Laboratory Test Your physician might order a laboratory test done in order to obtain information that cannot be seen in your history or a physical examination. The most common test, a simple blood test, can be most helpful in determining all kinds of things concerning your overall health and it can even assist in the diagnosis of a disease, which can then lead to the establishment of the proper treatment. Of the 2500 possible tests that a laboratory can perform, the most common are blood tests and urine tests. Each is very simple to perform and provides a multitude of information. Things tested from a sample of blood include: red blood cell count (related to anemia), white blood cell count (related to an infection), platelet count (related to ability to clot) and hemoglobin (related to oxygen carrying capacity). Of course, there are many more things that blood can reveal including, but not limited to: sugar level, cholesterol level, enzymes and electrolytes. A urinalysis can determine the health of liver, kidneys and other bodily processes as well as the presence of bacteria, glucose and blood. Other body materials can be tested as well, such as sweat, hair, feces, bone marrow, soft tissue and spinal fluid. The People As well as having many pieces of high-tech equipment to perform these 2500 different laboratory tests, testing laboratories are often staffed with many able bodied and well educated individuals who perform and interpret the tests. The testing laboratory staff is a team of skilled professionals who have knowledge in many different areas of science. The majority of laboratory tests are performed by medical technologists and laboratory technicians, but physicians, chemists, microbiologists and phlebotomists are also involved. By Elysse Kimberlin            Related Links: Axyos High-tech, custom laboratory equipment.

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